Lisa & Callan’s Wedding

Where did you draw inspiration from?

A lot of our wedding plan came down to practicality! Callan is a redhead and turns bright red in any kind of heat, so it had to be a winter wedding, and the date happened to be the 5 year anniversary of our first date. We liked the warmth of the venue and we love going to the mountains, so we wanted to create the ultimate cozy atmosphere.

What made the wedding personal to you?

There were so many things that made our big day personal. We were able to have our dog, Benny, around for most of it, and he was the star of the show! Also, as part of my bridal look, I wore my mom’s earrings from her wedding, my Grandma’s fur jacket, and took some pictures with the headpiece my Baba wore to her wedding. My mom passed on her Grandmother’s wedding band, who was married in 1920.  To give the venue a sentimental touch, Callan and I had all our parents’ and grandparents’ wedding pictures in photo frames, and we also printed pictures of every guest that was originally invited and made them into a collage so they could be there in some way.

Picking the music for the ceremony was a big task for us; music is very important to us! We had our first dance to “Howling at Nothing” by Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats, which was our first concert together. We’re not really flashy, so it was quite a relief to only do our first dance in front of our photographers!

What were you most nervous or excited about?

COVID! When I said I wanted our wedding to be ‘a little different’, I didn’t mean ‘plan it 10 times during a pandemic’. We are very lucky and thankful that COVID didn’t make an appearance. Cases were rising pretty quickly the month before the wedding, and we decided to change plans again and cancel the reception the week before. We knew that new restrictions were coming down two days before the big day, and we were on our way to Canmore in a convoy with all the bridesmaids, listening to the radio, wondering if we would be completely shut down. It was pretty tense. The venue was incredible about making modifications. We had a quick ceremony, then the venue packed everyone’s dinner in to-go bags, and guests toasted us to pre-recorded speeches and partied in their hotel rooms.

Now, the most important part – the Dress!

Tell us about your dress? 

I had no idea what I wanted, or how to articulate it, and I had a lot of issues searching for it. However, as soon as I laid my eyes on the Isolde gown, I knew that my search was over. I especially loved the romantic button up back with the stunning train, and how classic it looked with the lace bodice.

What stockist did you get it from?

Delica Bridal

What was your most memorable moment from your day?

The best part of the day was a sentimental surprise from my dance group. My Ukrainian dance group has a routine that we only perform at weddings, and I dreamed of that moment at my wedding before I even met Callan. Incorporating that Hopak, the dance, was one of the most important things for me to have at the wedding, but I didn’t feel safe asking them to do it.

When the big day came around, I had truly accepted that the dance wouldn’t get to be a part of the wedding. So, we were taking pictures after the ceremony, and my bridesmaid, Katryna, came out in costume and showed me that they had filmed them performing it at the studio without me knowing. She also showed me messages from dancers who lived as far away as South Korea! It was such a memorable and special moment.